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You may be emotionally and financially attached to your boat, but barnacles physically attach to marine craft and they have become a growing concern as the increase in barnacle infestations are at epidemic levels. Scientists attribute this to the unusually warmer water temperatures and higher rainfall totals. Rainwater aids barnacle growth because the runoff from land contains sewage, fertilizer, and other organic nutrients that crustaceans love to feast on.
Barnacle build-up is not just annoying to boat owners, but it can seriously compromise your safety when on the open waters. These tenacious biofouling organisms can quickly cover your anchor line or the hull of your boat within months. This amount of extra weight will create extra drag on your boat that causes the engine to work harder and will certainly increase your fuel costs.
In addition to the loss of efficiency of your boat's operation, when you have inches thick layers of crusty barnacle growth, there is a danger of that build up occurring in the wrong places. When barnacles cover water intake strainers that aid in cooling the boat's engine, a reduced volume of water is available which can cause your boat to run hotter at higher RPMs.
Algae is food for higher life forms; fish, tiny seahorses, worms, mussels, etc. and yes, barnacles. Barnacles attach to the substrate, your boat, with a very strong protein polymer adhesive (the toughest on the planet). Scientists know what the adhesive is and how it’s made, but to date, no one has been able to synthesize it. Barnacles also like to attach to irregular or porous surfaces where it can get a good grip and anchor themselves to the surface. This reduces the chances of being swept away by current or other disruption. Barnacles have a calcium or calcite shell which is similar to limestone or marble and is difficult to remove. Over time, chemicals can dissolve it but few boat owners have the patience, so the best solution is to soften the shells with a special chemical like Algex and scrape them away. Same for the adhesive.
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I’ll try to answer your questions, based on the limited information that I have and the photograph that you sent. It appears that you are having the greatest difficulty with inaccessible areas of your outboard motor and Seema mentioned that you had problems with barnacles on your transducer. It looks like your boat is on a trailer and I assume from the relatively clean bottom that you haul the boat from time to time to clean the bottom. You only sent one close up so I’m guessing. It looks like your boat has stains and is oxidized, so I’m assuming that it’s older or you’re not using the right products to look after it. more
Next,algae is attracted to the bacteria and attaches to the substrate so it can feed on the bacteria. It’s microscopic so it also anchors in the gelcoat pores and other irregular surfaces. It’s much more difficult to remove, but is easily removed from VS721 . Algae is very complex and can be single celled that resembles slime or multi-celled, such as seaweed. Some are animal, others plant and still other mixotrophic (both).
Here is the picture of my new Yamaha 150 that’s on my boat which stays in Tampa FL salt/brackish Hillsborough river. Today I tried aluminux which did a pretty decent job loosening the barnacles but still had to use a brush and plastic scraper, espically in the tight places. You were going to show this to your tech people for best product to remove barnacles mainly on the outdrive yet not hurt the paint or fiberglass boat. Needless to say, it would be better if you had a product that keeps the critters off to start with. My transducer is an issue also and manufacturer suggested NON-MATALIC transducer anti foul spray.
We’re working on better and more permanent solutions but so far this is the best there is, short of anti-fouling paints, and they have their own problems.So, there is no ideal solution other than keeping your boat out of the water and that’s not always an option. here
Both Interlux and Pettit Marine offer copper-free barrier coats, namely, Pacifica Plus from Interlux and Ultima Eco from Pettit. Both of these anti-fouling paints contain Econea and Zinc Omadine, a highly potent combination. Jargon Buster: Econea is a metal-free pharmaceutical that completely breaks down once it leaves the paint film (resisting fouling). And Zinc Omadine is highly-effective against soft growth. These two additives pay big dividends in multi-season protection. more
No matter what finish you'll be applying to a lower unit, surface preparation is the key to the paint being able to work its magic. So painstakingly follow the directions on the label. Wear gloves, eye protection and work where there's plenty of fresh air.
One particularly worthy option is Trilux 33 spray antifouling. Both paints can be brushed or rolled applied and can also sprayed (using a Pre-Val sprayer). The advantage of brushing over spraying is as simple as the sea is salt: Rolling or brushing applies more active ingredient by virtue of its higher wet/dry film thickness. Some boatyard experts argue that a brushed or roller application is more effective throughout the season than spray. There is also the issue of economics. Spray anti-fouling consists predominantly of thinner so that viscosity is thin enough to spray out the nozzle in a fine mist instead of clumps. So why spray in favor of rolling? Because it can sometimes be difficult to get to all the nooks and crannies on a lower unit with a brush. Spraying can do a more thorough job. Trilux coating comes in an aerosol can, which means painting is very easy. First, coat the surface with the special primer, followed up by a top coat. The net result is a hard, durable coating. here
Even though outboard motors and stern drive live in the saltwater there are a number of things you can do to prevent the growth of slime and barnacles. Want proof? The clean as a whistle sterndrive pictured above just spent the previous eight months in the waters of Raritan Bay, protected with Pacifica Plus. Slime, barnacles and other marine growth on lower units is a curse. They slow a boat, waste fuel and destroy handling. The good news is lower unit salvation can be found in anti-fouling paint. Only there's a catch. You can't use cuprous oxide on an aluminum drive or it will corrode. In other words, if you have a fiberglass boat you can't use the same copper based anti-fouling on the hull as the lower unit. No problem. more
2. Citric acid powder [links]
Vinegar is a common acid solution in the kitchen that can be used to remove limescale, is can also be used to remove the calcium disks left by barnacles. Mix a splash dishwashing soap with highly acetic vinegar, the dishwashing soap suspends the vinegar and helps break up the calcium. This may take you a few hours or even a day for the acidity of vinegar to loosen the calcium. After that, you can easily wash off the calcium deposits with a hose. This method is suitable for a few barnacle rings on the boat. here
Citric acid is a more concentrated carboxylic acid than vinegar, so it can remove the calcium rings quicker than vinegar. And its power form is easier to store, so it's more convenient than vinegar if you have a persistent barnacle problem, or just have lots of barnacle rings. The usage method is the same as with vinegar. Dilute the citric acid powder in water, and leave it on the boat. Wash it off when the calcium rings have loosened. [links]
3. Hydrochloric acid [links]
After you finish the above steps, there should be no barnacles on your inflatable boat, but there may be calcium rings left from barnacles. These small white thin calcium disks are sort of like limescale, they are not removable if you don't know the correct method. here